Tips for maintaining concentration????

[BigPete33]

I found this to be of interest, and possibly very closely related to what we were just discussing.

gamergrub.jpg (34.23 KiB) Viewed 720 times

For when fruits, veggies, exercise, plenty of sleep and the occasional colonic won't do, Gamer Grub promises to be the first "performance snack formulated especially for gamers." In flavours like Action Pizza, Racing Wasabi, Strategy Chocolate and Sports PB&J, the snacks are not only fortified with vitamins and minerals, but are specially engineered to be crumb and grease free, protecting your keyboard from its normal all-it-can-eat junk food buffet.

[BigPete33]

Perhaps some more explanation is in order.....

During the big events we spend long hours at the tables (hopefully!) and the food on offer isn't always the healthiest... not that there's anything wrong with a hamburger or a bacon + egg toasted sanga.

So continuing with the theme of getting a good nights sleep the night before and eating a good healthy breakfast on the morning of the big event(s) something like that gamer grub (but for poker purposes) mightn't be the worst idea ever.

Instead of caffeine perhaps something like powerade would be the go (BRILLIANT for hangovers btw).


Just some thoughts aimed at reducing mental fatigue.

Garth - market that shizzle will you? 1% of all sales will do nicely thanks

[Garth Kay]

Sorry Pete,

I'm operations not marketing. You need to take this up with Carlos.

But I'm not joking, let's see if a company of this sorts would like to get on board with NPL.

God knows the majority of us need it.

[Brett Kay]

Train for it like a sport. Go out for a quick jog around the backyard during the break. Have some healthy snacks around the place. e.g Carrots, Celery, pain in the butt stuff.

Everyonce in a while sit out a hand, walk around the table. Just get blood moving.

Listening to music can block out distractions.

I like a bit of chaos so i am usually playing reversi, reading news, listening to music through a hand. Keep the mind active.

[krunchie]

I am finding this topic particluarly interesting.

On the 2hr trip home from state finals yesterday after lasting 3 and a 1/2 hrs i was mulling over my weakeneses, in order to improve my game.

This exact thought/topic kept re-occuring.

In the past month i have had the pleasure of partaking in some deep stack live play and i also have invested many hours and hard earned into largish (180+ players) internet games.

What i have found is that this type of poker suits me, the larger stack and the extra time usually works for me and i have had some of my best results in these games ( i have brought my bank roll back to even, from the brink)

But i have not won any games, i am either bubling or out early to mid final table and while the cash's are welcome it is frustrating to play for 3 hrs or even longer and only tripple or quadruple your buy in.

We all know that winning or at the very least top 3 is where the real money is at.

So this got me thinking, how am i going out in these positions, and i came to realise that most of the time i am not big stack, due to my relative tight play and waiting for my top 10 or 15 starting hands and playing them realatively agresivley, on average the pots for me are small.

Because i am not big stack i generally get to a postion where i am in risk of being blinded out soon, and in many instances have pushed preflop with a good but not great starting hand ( like on sunday for instance where i pushed all in 4500 on ace jack suited , when the blinds were 800, only to be called by ace queen.

So now I find my self thinking, is my style not delivering the goods to win or is it i am running out of steam and not playing as well in the final quater as i did in the first 3 quaters.

Verry interested to hear more of peoples thoughts in relation to this.

[gundog]

I'm a great fan of these so called pep up drinks, firstly the smell is revolting and the taste is also questionable.

I wonder what long term effect high consumption of these products will have on your long term health considering some have a health warning of 1 per day.

Last night I watched the final of the heads up championship on ESPN, what i saw was amazing, Phil Helmoth took the 1st of best of 3 game easily I thought Phil was going to make a quick 2 and 0 but his oponent out played him (Cannot remember his name but he has long hair wear predominatly black and a black hat) in the final table they are both all in with Phil in front at the turn the other guy hits a boat after playing 9/2.

Phil is mentally smashed so during the break he heads off on abrisk walk,on returning he seemed in a positive fram of mind taking freely with a tournment host. Game 3 starts the first 2 hands the other bloke has c ertinally still in the mind of Phil he bluffed out 2 winning hands, Phil eventually gets his head together and takes game 3.

What I took out of this when in a big tournment at each clear the head and do something active like a brisk walk or something, and have something to eat, have a tea or coffee, then a visit to the toilet give the face a wash with cold water and then mentally prepare yourself for the next session. avoid booze as it dulls the brain.

Now all I have to do is actually do it.

[krunchie]

I'm a great fan of these so called pep up drinks, firstly the smell is revolting and the taste is also questionable.

I wonder what long term effect high consumption of these products will have on your long term health considering some have a health warning of 1 per day.

Last night I watched the final of the heads up championship on ESPN, what i saw was amazing, Phil Helmoth took the 1st of best of 3 game easily I thought Phil was going to make a quick 2 and 0 but his oponent out played him (Cannot remember his name but he has long hair wear predominatly black and a black hat) in the final table they are both all in with Phil in front at the turn the other guy hits a boat after playing 9/2.

Phil is mentally smashed so during the break he heads off on abrisk walk,on returning he seemed in a positive fram of mind taking freely with a tournment host. Game 3 starts the first 2 hands the other bloke has c ertinally still in the mind of Phil he bluffed out 2 winning hands, Phil eventually gets his head together and takes game 3.

What I took out of this when in a big tournment at each clear the head and do something active like a brisk walk or something, and have something to eat, have a tea or coffee, then a visit to the toilet give the face a wash with cold water and then mentally prepare yourself for the next session. avoid booze as it dulls the brain.

Now all I have to do is actually do it.

by your description i would say you were talking about chris " jesus" fergesson

[gundog]

yep thats him

[Todd Rivers]

LOL Rcon!

Last Night. $22 buy-in, 2400+ players - fairly relaxed blinds

Down to 200 players (cash started at 381), Im in 11th position.
Blinds are 600/1200 ante 75. I have 48k

Im 14 from 14 at showdowns.

I have AK diamonds on BB

late position (42k) calls 1200.

Dealer (16k) raises to 4800.

SB folds

Before the dealer raise, i was wondering why a very aggressive player at a very aggressive table only called in late position when everyone else had folded to him.

I wasn't worried about the dealer as he had been stealing all night and always folded to a re-raise and he was extremely loose aggressive.

INSTANT BRAIN FART - I SHOVE

As soon as late position called i knew i'd stuffed up. Yep. Show me them bullets. Yes, there they are!

I wasn't out but my tourny was over.


Poker is about making the least bad decisions.

I should've folded.
Why didn't I?

I was refreshed, been outside walking barefoot in the grass with a rum, throwing the ball for the dog, beautiful day and I'm 100% at showdowns AND getting good cards.

ANSWER: I just simply made a bad decision.

[rcon]

ANSWER: I just simply made a bad decision.

Well DUH!

I'm looking for some mental techniques to help minimize this sort of thing - I thought there might be some routines that some people on here use to help keep the sort of focus you need. Obviously there are no magic bullets tho.

Something to help keep the mind on the big picture in a long tourney - cashies you should always exploit any edge you've got, but tourneys you've got more than just "I'm 51% to win this hand, I'm all-in" to worry about. This thread was more about getting some ideas for things to keep you alert to the "main game".

There have been some good ideas - thanks.

Tonight's exit from same tourney was brought about by overplaying an over-pair (very similar to my inglorious exit on Sunday). Like you Todd, it wasn't the end of me, but should have lay it down on the turn, rather than after a river bet. Similar thing - just got too caught up in trying to win one hand, when I should have realised there were better spots to put my money in. I allowed myself a couple of drinks tonight, and that may have had something to do with it too I am trying to keep those two activities separate, esp when buying into tourneys at the top of my range, but not always succeeding! Only a couple, but enough to affect the focus for an hour of so